| Author | Message | ||
     Rhinowerx |
No real dramas other than taking a few wrong turns and accidentally breaking my sunglasses. Weather was good, and the bike ran flawlessly. I'll give more details later if anyone is interested - took a few snaps that I'll post tomorrow. For now though, I think I've earned myself a beer or six...    -Jack | ||
| Bienhoabob |
Congratulations. Nice Job! | ||
| Sparky |
That's quite a feat -- I'm impressed! Glad you and the Uly made it OK. | ||
| Rhinowerx |
So the tally was 1079 miles in 17 hours, 35 minutes. When I woke up this morning I looked at my watch and thought, “hmmm only another 424 miles and I could go for the Bun Burner 1500 award” – ahh, but I have too much to do today. Thinking about this trip, there’d be a few things I’d do different next time. Schedule shorter fuel stops. I was ambitious in pushing the bike to its upper fuel range limit – two problems with that 1. Fuel range is dramatically compromised with increased freeway speeds and 2. Unless your riding a Gold Wing or the like, I think a break out of the saddle sooner rather than later is more appreciated. I would think a stop every 120 miles (or two hours) would work better. Other things worth thinking about; Limited wind protection on the Uly (or any naked bike), can take its toll. Also, bugs! In some areas, the bugs were so bad it became difficult to see. Again, perhaps a bike with a decent windshield may have helped here. Ultimately it meant we had to make a few more unscheduled stops to clear our face shields. Lastly – living here on the west coast means having to ride into the sun both in the morning and the evening – not fun.  Oh, and combine bugs on your shield with riding into the sun…  Alternatives would be a night ride (would want some better lighting), or more of a north/south route (would want heated clothing). I used the new 07 Uly seat and it performed well. It was easy to move around on and provided good support. I think it was around the 700 mile mark where I really started to feel some discomfort; in the seat area, a little in my knees, and also my upper back/neck – Advil really helped. One last thing I’d like to mention – I used a back support device called back-a-line (google it for more info), and it really helped a lot – highly recommended. With all said and done it was a great experience – a challenge both mentally and physically. Unlike my riding partner, I had no heated clothing (or grips – didn’t arrive in time), nor did I listen to music (I don’t like the distraction). I did however have the Vista cruise control fitted – a must. I think for next time, I would like to have a heated vest – I think it would help a lot. I would (and probably will) do it again. Cheers -Jack NB - I mounted my camera to the handle bars and took a few snaps… | ||
| Birdmanrh |
Congrats, great job! | ||
| Blake |
Congratulations Jack. Thanks for taking us along with you for a spell.  | ||
| Chopped58 |
Great Job, and congratulations. Glad to hear it went well. It seems you made great time. I know I can't wait for my next one. |
